Pieces of Time
by Kimitsuzue
Summary: Kagome knew she wasn't the smartest person in the world, but she never thought she'd fail her final exams! Forced to repeat the 11th grade, she finds herself face to face with the reincarnates of the Band of Seven, including the devilish Bankotsu!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any similarities in this fanfiction, other published materials, or real life is purely by coincidence and copyright infringement was not intended. All rights to the Inuyasha series belong to its original creator, Rumiko Takahashi.  
**

I decided to add a prologue since my first few chapters aren't jumping right into the main plot described in the summary. I also added in a full summary to clear up some things. (Sorry for always changing stuff!)

**Full Summary**: Kagome knew she wasn't the smartest person in the world, but she never thought she'd fail her final exams! Forced to repeat the eleventh grade, she finds herself face to face with the reincarnates of the Band of Seven, including the devilish Bankotsu! And if that wasn't enough, the original bloodthirsty mercenary is still out to get her in the feudal era! With two Bankotsus wreaking havoc on her life and driving her insane, how can she possibly focus on finding the jewel shards? More importantly, how is she supposed to keep herself from failing the eleventh grade _again_?

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**Pieces of Time**

**Prologue**

Standing in front of the sliding doors to her old classroom, Kagome gulped and bit her lip in nervousness. The fact that she was standing in front of the familiar door only reminded her that this would be her second year as an eleventh-grader and with that knowledge in mind she couldn't help but fear what she knew was coming: ridicule, humiliation and possibly even scorn. Finally gaining the courage to lift her hand up to the handle of the door, she inhaled deeply and finally pushed the obstacle aside and stepped in. In that instant, the school bell chimed and she froze. All the students were looking at her and even the teacher peered over her spectacles to glance at her. _I'm such an idiot! Why did I have to be such a coward and take forever to walk inside?_ Trying not to show her inner turmoil, she quietly walked across the room in her search for an empty seat and paused when she saw one near the window. _Thank the heavens... it's the back corner!_ She sped up her walk and was about to take her seat when the sliding door opened again and a frighteningly familiar face appeared.

With a heavy "thud" Kagome found herself sitting on the floor, her wooden chair sent toppling over by her movement. Her stomach was churning and once again, all eyes in the room landed on her, but the only gaze that her mind seemed to register belonged to the boy standing in the doorway; the one whose eyes glimmered with mischief and shone a bright cerulean in the sunlight... the one whose face, eyes, hair, skin--everything had once existed long ago. _Is this really him?_ The churning in her stomach only worsened as her heartbeat sped up exponentially and she couldn't help but stare in awe at the boy in the doorway and wonder what the gods above were thinking. _It can't be..._

He raised a brow at her constant staring but approached her and crouched down as if to help her.

Kagome blushed, finally realizing her situation. "I--"

"You're in my seat," he said curtly.

Even after his rude comment she was at a loss for words. The sound of his voice was exactly the same as _his_ just like all of his other features. _It--it really **is** him._.. _Bankotsu!_

_

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_Again, sorry for always changing things! I even had to switch around all the chapters for this to go at the beginning so things are a bit mixed up right now... but anyways, I hope you enjoyed the prologue, thank you for reading and please review!


	2. Final Exams

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any similarities between this fanfiction, other published materials or real life is purely by coincidence and copyright infringement was not intended. All rights to the Inuyasha series belong to its original creator, Rumiko Takahashi.**

Hey there, I'm Kisaiyo and this is my first Bankotsu and Kagome fanfiction so I hope I don't disappoint! Anyways, this chapter is quite short and I wish it were a little longer but I kind of liked where this one ended.

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**Pieces of Time**

**Chapter One: Final Exams  
**

"I can't believe this… I am _officially_ the biggest idiot to walk the face of the Earth," Kagome groaned. She was staring absolute _failure_ right in the face and it was in the form of her final exams. No, not just one test, but every single one of them. Not just math, but English, science, history—you name it. _I can't believe I didn't even pass history! I __**live **__history!_

"Kagome, it'll be fine, it's just one year," said Eri. She rested her hand on Kagome's shoulder and tried to be optimistic for her poor friend.

"Yeah, think on the bright side," began Ayumi, "this way you won't have to start working or go to college for another year." Kagome's clueless friend smiled to herself and waited for Kagome's response.

Unfortunately, Kagome wasn't as thrilled about that idea as Ayumi was. _I guess the saying is true, obliviousness is bliss…_ Kagome sighed heavily, and buried her face in her hands.

Yuka forced a smile. "C'mon Kagome, we can go get something to eat if it makes you feel better. I heard there's a new dessert at—"

"Hey Kagome, how did you do on your exams?" Hojo asked with his signature smile, effectively interrupting Yuka. As usual he was bright and happy, the exact opposite of Kagome.

_Smiles, smiles, smiles… everyone has a damn __**smile**__ on their face!_ Kagome inwardly grimaced. "Oh, don't bother about _my_ scores, what about you, Hojo?" Kagome fought to keep herself in check. No matter how terrible her exam scores were, she wasn't so stupid as to make a fool of herself in front of her friends along with Hojo.

"Oh you know, the usual," he replied nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

"So, what exactly _is_ the usual?" Eri inquired, raising a brow and crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for his answer.

"Yeah, I'm curious too, Hojo," Yuka added. "Why don't you pass over your results so we can see?"

"Sure," he replied, pulling his result papers from his book bag. He handed them over to Eri and shifted in place. "It's nothing special."

Eri glanced over the scores and her eyes widened in amazement. "Are you kidding me? Hojo, they're all—_perfect_!" Eri exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted by his results. "Guys, take a look at this, Hojo's a genius!"

Kagome felt as though she had just been hit by a ton of bricks._ Perfect… __**perfect?**__ Are you kidding me? How can someone get a perfect on __**all**__ of their exams? It's inhuman! _Kagome stared at the result papers being passed around and when it finally came to her she had to resist the urge to scream. "Wow, Hojo, you're amazing," Kagome said, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

"Thanks, but what about you?" Hojo looked at her expectantly as she crumbled under his gaze. Her grip tightened on his result papers and if it weren't for Yuka's intervention she was absolutely sure that she would have accidentally shredded his papers in half.

"C'mon Hojo, you can't expect _anyone_ to want to you show you their scores after seeing _that_," Yuka said, pulling the papers from Kagome's death grip and handing it back to the oblivious boy.

Ayumi looked clueless. "Well, it's not like telling him will change anything, right Kagome?" Her idiotic expression made Eri, Yuka, and Kagome freeze.

_She __**wouldn't**__...!_

Putting her index finger to her cheek she took on a slightly thoughtful look. "I think Kagome just had an off day or something, but she totally bombed all of her exams," Ayumi said, laughing a little until she saw everyone drop to the floor.

_She __**would**_**, **Kagome thought, groaning as she pressed her forehead to the desk. Eri and Yuka rolled their eyes and slapped a hand over their eyes in exasperation. Somehow they just _knew_ something like that would happen.

Kagome lifted her head to stare at Ayumi. _How can she be so dense?_ Thought Kagome, turning her head to meet Hojo's confused expression.

"Kagome, is it true?" Hojo questioned, moving to take a seat next to her. His deep sienna orbs were filled with genuine worry as he rested his hand over hers.

Yuka leaned in toward Eri's ear and whispered. "Do you think we should leave them alone?"

Eri glanced over at Hojo and nodded. "Ayumi, let's go," she whispered, taking her friend's hand and tugging her out of the room.

Feeling the heat from his hand, she felt the blood rush to her face. "Oh well, yeah, Ayumi's right. I guess I _was_ a little off that day," she blurted nervously, pulling her hand from beneath his to rub the back of her neck as she tried to hide her blush.

Hojo took a moment to regain his balance. "Mm, well, repeating the eleventh grade isn't all that bad," he said, brushing off her subtle rejection.

"Yeah right, that's like saying that pickled plums aren't sour," she joked half-heartedly, standing up and pushing her chair back under the desk.

As she moved to exit the classroom Hojo took hold of her arm, "why don't I take you out for a movie this Saturday? It might cheer you up," he suggested abruptly.

"That's really nice of you Hojo, but I already have plans," she lied. _If I stay in the present for too long Inuyasha will bite my head off… _

Hojo sighed lightly. "Well, maybe some other time then," he relented with a frown, letting her arm drop freely from his grasp.

Kagome nodded. "I'll see you later then Hojo," she said, already on her way down the corridor to exit the school.

"She always has plans…" Hojo mumbled dejectedly, swinging his bag over his shoulder as he made his way down the hall.

------------

Finally reaching the front door of her house, Kagome stared up at the sky. _Here goes nothing,_ she thought, turning the knob and pushing the door open. "Mom, Grandpa, Souta, I'm home!"

"Welcome home, dear," her mother said warmly. "How was school today? I heard that the students got their exam results."

"Ugh, don't remind me," she whined, pulling off her school shoes as she stepped into the house. "Even _I_ can't believe how badly I failed," she groaned.

"Oh my," said her mother, her mouth slightly open in shock. "You couldn't possibly mean that—"

Kagome nodded. "I'm repeating the eleventh grade."

**End of Chapter One**

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**

Yeah, so this chapter was kind of fun to write and it feels a lot different from my recent stories. I'm trying to keep the characters from being OOC but here and there I try to add in my own edge and style into the writing. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, so thank you for reading, and please review!**  
**


	3. Kidnapped! Kagome's Misfortune

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any similarities between this fanfiction, other published materials or real life is purely by coincidence and copyright infringement was not intended. All rights to the Inuyasha series belong to its original creator, Rumiko Takahashi.**

**Hey you guys, I'm back (again) with chapter two. For those of you that read it when I first posted it, I'm sorry that it was really bad and unedited etc. but now that I've revised and fleshed it out a _lot_ more, I hope you guys will reread this chapter because I have made many changes and I'm taking a different direction with the story now, so yeah, anyways, I hope you guys like it! (Somehow it ended up getting to be a really long chapter... which is kinda unusual for me.)  
**

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**Pieces of Time**

**Chapter 2: Kidnapped! Kagome's Misfortune  
**

The brilliant morning sunlight overflowed Kagome's room with gentle warmth, softly coaxing her into greeting the day as it danced about her figure. "Mm…" The vibrations from her voice reverberated throughout the room and her eyes fluttered open. Her coffee-colored orbs were still glazed over with sleep and she looked around her room with faint awareness. As her gaze landed on the pink alarm clock sitting prettily on the bedside table, her eyes widened and her mind registered the numbers.

Kagome shot out of bed and immediately grabbed for her alarm clock. "Twelve o'clock _already_?" Kagome screeched. She visibly paled and felt her heart stop beating. "Inuyasha is going to kill me!"

------------

Monotonous tapping filled the silence of the empty forest as the wind whistled through the lush green trees. "Dammit, where is she?" Inuyasha's foot thudded against the grassy clearing and his glare seemed to burn a hole into the Bone Eater's well. "Rrrghh...!" He stood up from the ground and stomped over to the well, staring down into its' depths. _Where is she? _He thought, gripping the wooden lip of the well. After a few minutes of glaring he reluctantly turned on his heel and dropped to the ground once more with an irritated grunt, turning his impatience to Miroku. "She's supposed to be here already!"

Miroku exhaled noisily and rolled his eyes. _Here we go again…_ "Inuyasha, Lady Kagome shall return to us when she is prepared. Stomping and brooding will get you nowhere," declared the monk. "Besides, a few hours makes no difference; though I personally feel that this time could be better spent… perhaps in the company of a few young maidens." A smile tugged at the corners of his lips and he couldn't help but be pleased with the image that came into his mind. "Ah, youth is such a wonderful thing," he mumbled contently, shifting the golden staff within his arms. It jingled for a moment, as if it were calling for Sango's attention.

The demon slayer grimaced. "Miroku, is there ever a time when you're _not_ thinking of women?" Her feminine hands held a hidden weapon and her slender fingers wrapped around it with a death-grip.

Miroku gulped as he saw the sunlight glint off the blade of the deadly weapon. "Well..." He grinned nervously, avoiding her frigid gaze as he scratched his cheek lightly with his index finger. Seeing her expression darken, he rushed to put a defensive sentence out. "I—"

"Save it, Monk." Sango returned her focus to polishing her weapons and brushed him off without a second thought, clearly in no mood to discuss Miroku's tendencies with women. He frowned.

For a moment Inuyasha forgot all about Kagome as he watched Sango vigorously rub the cloth against the blade. _What's got __**her **__so riled up?_

Feeling Inuyasha's gaze upon her, she looked up at him and raised a brow, her icy expression still intact. Inuyasha tensed but managed to lift his hands in front of him as if to say that nothing was wrong. Sango closed her eyes and sighed in exasperation as she took the weapon and placed it back onto her arm where it belonged. For a second her gaze lingered on the scratches embedded in the armband of the weapon. _Kohaku…_

After giving Miroku a quick glance, Inuyasha cleared his throat and stood once more. "I'm going to get Kagome—"

The well suddenly filled with the familiar indigo and violet lights and the sound of Kagome touching ground reached Inuyasha's sensitive ears. Peering over the rim of the well, Inuyasha called out, "you're late!"

Kagome looked up and smiled timidly. "Sorry?"

Inuyasha sighed and reached down to her, "c'mon," he urged.

Taking his strong hand, Kagome easily came up and out of the well. "I can't believe I slept in so late," she commented, dropping her overstuffed bag onto the ground. "So…" she started, looking from one friend to another to assess the situation, "what's up?"

Sango sighed and set her Hiraikotsu to the side. "No sign of Naraku as always, but…" Sango reached into the makeshift bag she made from her kerchief and pulled out a bunch of crumpled papers. "We found these lying around the forest."

Kagome walked over to Sango and crouched down to take the papers into her hands. "What are these?" She opened up one of the papers and scanned over it, unable to read the mess of words. Most of the sentences written seemed to have at least five words crossed out and were even harder to read with some of the tears that seemed to have formed from the crumpling. Kagome's brows knit together and she handed the papers back to Sango. "I don't get it, what's so important about these?"

Sango took the papers and stuffed them back into the kerchief. "Kirara found them lying around the forest and brought them to me two days ago," she explained. "One of them looked like it had your name written on it so… well, anyways, I've scouted out the forest while you were away but all I find are more of these papers. What makes things even worse is that Inuyasha can't track the scent…" Sango frowned and all traces of her earlier expression vanished.

Kagome looked over to Inuyasha. "No scent at all?"

Inuyasha nodded. "The only scent I could peg was the forest itself." Inuyasha crossed his arms and looked thoughtful. "I don't know why, but something about those papers just isn't right," he mumbled.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Band of Seven stood proudly at the edge of the cliff beyond Inuyasha's Forest, Banryuu lodged into the ground next to him as he stared at the villages below. "Renkotsu!" His voice rang out clearly and his tone was one that demanded the utmost respect.

"Yes, brother?" The fire-breathing member of the Band of Seven appeared and kneeled before his leader, awaiting orders.

"You're a smart guy, aren't you?" Bankotsu turned to the fire-breather, his arms crossed as he leaned against Banryuu.

Renkotsu looked baffled by Bankotsu's words but replied accordingly, "I suppose," he said, standing up, trying to figure out what Bankotsu was getting at. He eyed the balls of crumpled paper scattered around his leader but said nothing of it. _What are these?_

"Good. I need you to write a letter for me," Bankotsu explained. He slid down to the ground and sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

"To whom?"

"To Inuyasha, of course."

At the sound of Inuyasha's name, Jakotsu perked up and lifted his head from the veil of sleep he was under. "Are we going to attack him?" Jakotsu asked excitedly, his eyes lighting up with joy.

Bankotsu smirked. "He's all yours."

Jakotsu put his hands to his face and hardly contained the urge to squeal. "I'll finally be able to play with my darling Inuyasha!" With that, the man danced away into the forest, leaving a trail of sparkles behind.

With Jakotsu gone, Bankotsu was able to return to the topic of the letter. "Renkotsu; about that letter… you can write whatever you want as long as you remember to mention that the Band of Seven is no longer involved with Naraku."

Renkotsu blinked. _Since when? _He thought, obviously caught off guard by the new piece of information. "Is that all?"

Bankotsu waved his hand in front of him carelessly. "Yeah, yeah, just make sure you find someone to send it over, too."

"Yes, brother."

Not too far away, Kagome began grumbling incoherently about Bankotsu's failed letter attempts...

"I don't see why this is such a big deal; the papers could be referring to _any_ Kagome!"

"You have a point, but perhaps we should take precautions and look into this matter further," Miroku suggested.

"I guess you're right," Kagome relented, her shoulders beginning to slump. All she wanted to do was relax and prepare to set out, but it looked like she would be busier than she thought. "I can walk through the forest and search for any more of those papers if you'd like." _Though I'd really appreciate it if you would just let me relax…_

"Then Sango and I shall search the village while Inuyasha and Shippo keep watch over the well," Miroku announced. Before Inuyasha had a chance to object to the plan Miroku was off and so was Sango.

Kagome yawned and looked down at Inuyasha. "I'll be back," she said, leaning her bag against the well as she trudged into the forest. The gargantuan trees created a natural canopy that shielded her from the intense sunlight and the cool breeze swept her hair back and forth in gentle motions. "At least the weather is nice…"

It was a good half hour of walking before she saw a change in scenery. Looking up ahead she saw a clearing upon the top of a hill and smiled. _Just a few more steps…one, two, thre—!_

_Crash!_

Kagome gasped but had no time to rescue herself. The modern priestess fell flat on her face, teeth clashing together in a painful collision. It felt as though her head was no longer a part of her body and she lifted her hand to her forehead in an attempt to stop the spreading headache. "What in the…?" The young priestess glanced behind her and saw a crumpled paper covered in dirt staring back at her. Her eyes narrowed. _Stupid son of a—_

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in."

_Huh…?_ Looking right at her were a pair of liquid sapphire eyes and the head they were set in belonged to none other than the leader of the Band of Seven, Bankotsu.

"It seems that my attempts at writing haven't gone to waste after all." He held a crumpled paper in one hand and his giant halberd in the other. The enormous weapon rested on his shoulder and its violet covering was the only thing remotely comforting to her.

When she was only able to stare on wordlessly he broke the silence with a sound of triumph. "Paralyzed with fear? I don't blame you," he said arrogantly, shrugging his shoulders.

Kagome twitched. _Conceited, much?_

Noticing the girl's sudden change in expression, Bankotsu crouched down to study her. He scanned her from head to toe and watched as she squirmed under his intense gaze. "Hm…"

_Weirdo…_ Kagome inched backward. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," he said curtly, sapphire eyes still roaming over her form. _Her clothes are so strange..._

Unable to endure any more of his scrutiny, she stood and turned on her heel in a strange attempt at escaping. Paying the bloodthirsty mercenary no mind, she tried to walk off without a word. _Walking, walking, walking--oh no, caught!_ She thought, panic stricken as his hand came to rest on her shoulder. _I'm a goner!_

"Ah-uh, you're not just walking off like that," he warned. He spun her around to face him once more but before she had a chance to say anything, he bent over and picked her up by the waist, lifting her over his shoulder with ease. "You're coming with me."

Kagome paled. "What are you doing?" She screeched, pounding her tiny fists into his back as she flailed around wildly. "Let me go!"

"Sorry, no can do," he replied, ignoring the rest of her screaming as he walked off into the forest.

After getting through the denser part of the woods he began to move more quickly, but when he started to take large leaps and jumps Kagome protested loudly. "What are you doing? Are you nuts?" Her hair whipped about in the wind as the assassin chuckled at the fearful tone in her voice. "Hey! Listen to me!" She pounded her fists harder and began to kick and squirm until she suddenly felt the boy who was carrying her disappear. The poor girl found herself stranded in midair, her back almost touching the branches that were previously about twenty feet above her. "Eeeek!" As she descended towards the ground she braced herself for impact and forced her eyes shut. _I'm gonna die!_

Bankotsu's hearty laugh echoed in the trees as he watched her face go white, but before she hit the ground he pushed off of a tree and swooped in to catch her right on time. Feeling the boy's strong arms rather than the hard earthen ground raised her curiosity and she opened her eyes to find him looking down at her with a devious smile. "Had a nice trip?"

"You jerk! I thought I was gonna die!"

"That was the point," he said, slowing down in order to speak properly. "Look girl, I can't have you screaming in my ear all the way there," he said, all joking aside as he took on a serious persona.

"All the way there? Where exactly is _there_?" She questioned, raising a brow at his vagueness as she felt the assassin's friendliness disappear along with her heartbeat.

Without answering her question he continued onward, and feeling how tense the air became around them, Kagome stayed silent. _Where is he taking me? Inuyasha, you better come quick... _

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In the meantime, Inuyasha and Shippo were still waiting at the Bone Eater's well, watching as birds flew by and the clouds passed overhead.

"I'm bored," Shippo complained, his shoulders slumping as he pouted. "Inuyasha, I'm bored! Bored, bored, bored!" He ran around in circles, waving his arms around in the air as he shouted.

"Dammit Shippo, I heard you the first time!" Inuyasha yelled, slamming his fist into the poor fox child's head.

Shippo fell to the ground and rubbed at the massive bump that began to form. "Ow... Inuyasha, what'd you do _that_ for?" He whined, sitting up and glaring at the older half-demon.

"Shippo, will you just--!"

"Inuyasha," Miroku interjected, "where is Lady Kagome? Has she not yet returned?" The monk and the demon slayer reappeared from the forest and brushed a few tree branches aside as they walked into the clearing.

Inuyasha dropped his argument with the young fox and gave Miroku a questioning look. "She didn't come here," he said.

Sango and Miroku exchanged glances. "We thought she would return here," Sango explained. "Do you think she might have gotten lost?"

The idea of the young priestess losing her way in such familiar territory was too strange, even to Shippo. "Something smells fishy," he said, the bump from Inuyasha's punch magically shrinking away. "Kagome wouldn't get lost in a place like this..."

Sango nodded. "You're right. Do you think she was kidnapped?" Her eyes narrowed and she looked off in the direction Kagome had left in.

The sun was beginning to fall into the horizon, its bright yellow rays beginning to burn a fierce orange as it slowly continued downward. Along with it went the blue of the sky as it slowly began to reflect the orange rays and seemingly look down upon the group.

Miroku noted the time and his jaw tightened. "Night will begin to fall soon. If Kagome is indeed captured then we must begin a search."

Sango looked down at Kirara and the cat demon leaped forward as it transformed and let out a mighty growl, the flames from her paws jumping upwards before smoldering into a gentler flame. Sango climbed on and Miroku followed her lead with Shippo sitting upon his shoulder. Miroku shifted his staff around Sango's midsection and as Kirara began to ascend upwards Miroku called out, "Inuyasha, we'll scan around for Kagome from above; search for her in the forest and meet us back at Kaede's hut!"

Inuyasha gave a single nod before he was dashing off into the forest, jumping from tree to tree, his amber eyes darted left and right in search for his missing companion. "Kagome!" His voice traveled through the forest and reached out to any nearby life-form, including the right-hand man to the leader of the Band of Seven, Jakotsu.

_What is that? _

"Kagome!"

_Is that...?_

"Kagome!" Inuyasha landed on a moss-covered rock, his clawed hand resting on a tree to keep his balance.

"Inuyasha darling!" Jakotsu's eyes lit up at the half-demon in front of him and he instantly reached out to hug his silver-haired love-interest. "It's been _ages_ since I've seen you!"

"Ack!" Inuyasha flailed about within the man's grip and pried his eager fingers off with a look of disgust plastered on his face. "Let go!" He whined, thrashing around comically for a minute before he was able to shove Jakotsu off. "What in the hell are _you_ doing here?"

Jakotsu pouted. "What, you didn't miss me?"

"_Hell_ no!" Inuyasha bounded backward and took a defensive stance.

Jakotsu lifted his trick sword onto his shoulder and shifted his weight onto one foot. "Well now, aren't we in a bad mood..."

"Grrr... shut up you cross-dressing--" Realizing that he still needed to search for Kagome, he cut himself off. "Forget it, I have better things to do!"

Jakotsu's brows knit together to form a look of irritation. "Tch... going after a human wench like that. Disgusting! I'm _far_ better than that _girl_," Jakotsu muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. After Inuyasha's form disappeared into the darkness, Jakotsu remembered where he had to be. "Shit! I have to get back to the hideout already!" Jakotsu jumped over the mossy rock and darted into the forest. _I hope big brother won't be mad._

As he neared the hideout he slowed his pace and looked from side to side for any trespassers. Their hideout; an old temple with vines grabbing at the sides looked to be nothing more than a decorative dust collector, but once the cross-dressing boy climbed the creaky stairs and shifted the paper door aside he entered a well-kept interior that could almost be called a home. Unfortunately, his moment of admiration for the simplicity of the temple came to a screeching halt when he laid eyes on the _thing_ his older brother was holding onto. "Brother! How can you--! What are you--! **Why are you holding that**--**that **_**thing**_**?!**"

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "I have a name you know! It's Kagome; Ka-Go-Me!" Jakotsu staggered backwards, his eye twitching as Kagome threw Bankotsu's hand off of her shoulder and approached him while wagging her finger in his face.

"Brother, what is she doing _here_?" Jakotsu waved his sword about wildly as he awaited Bankotsu's answer.

"I kidnapped her," he replied calmly.

"What for?"

Bankotsu paused and met Kagome's gaze. "You've got the shards, don't you?"

_No, I just carry bottles of glass around._ "Yeah, so what? _You're_ not getting them," she said confidently, huffing as she turned her back on both of the boys.

Jakotsu ground his teeth. "Listen wench, we don't tolerate disrespect so you better--"

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu said, his voice taking on a warning tone as his sapphire eyes hardened. His partner settled for a deep frown and let the conversation continue. "Woman, I really don't care how many shards you have in your possession."

Kagome blinked. _What?_

"The Band of Seven doesn't need the power of every shard," he explained. "All we need is a couple more and we'll become an invincible for--"

"_Invincible?_ What makes you think that _I'm_ going to help _you_ become invincible! You must be out of your mind!"

Bankotsu's lips curved into a devilish smile. "Pretty soon you'll be _begging _to help me find shards." He stood and gently pushed Jakotsu aside as he strided towards the girl.

Kagome backed up to the wall and tried to look away as the sly and undeniably handsome mercenary pinned her down. His deep azure eyes bore into her soft brown orbs and he let her chin rest between his index finger and his thumb as he pressed his cheek against hers. _What the heck is he doing?_

"Believe me when I say _begging_," he whispered, resting his free hand on her hip. "After all, there are just _so_ many things that I'd _love_ to do to you."

Kagome's eyes widened and her body went as rigid as a rock. _He can't be serious!_

**End of Chapter 2**

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Heehee... the chapter got really long because I really wanted to have that last bit included in this chapter. I like the idea of Bankotsu just being all sly and underhanded like that when it comes to Kagome. (Lol.) Anyways, I think I might have made the characters a little OOC (or maybe a lot) but I hope you guys still enjoyed it? Well, yeah, sorry if it's too OOC... but I love feedback, so thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Please review! (Oh yeah, I'm used to writing in First person POV so please don't kill me if the transitions were too obvious and stuff!) And thanks to all my reviewers so far, you guys are awesome!  
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	4. Doubt

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any similarities between this fanfiction, other published materials, or real life is purely by coincidence and copyright infringement was not intended. All rights to the Inuyasha series belong to its original creator, Rumiko Takahashi.**

**What's up guys? I've been on a roll lately (or so I think) with chapters for this story! I don't think I've written this much in a long time and I'm slowly getting the rust off so hopefully I'll be back to normal soon! Anyways, (sorry if you already know) but chapter two is different. It's about three times longer than before and now it takes a different direction with Bankotsu's personality and also includes an interesting ending (for those of you that love the cottony goodness of fluff). Oh! And about the rating... at first it was for freedom but now I'm thinking about including a lemon, so if you want or do _not_ want a lemon please mention it in a review or PM. Thank you!  
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**Pieces of Time  
Chapter 3: Doubt  
**

Bankotsu's lips curved into a devilish smile. "Pretty soon you'll be _begging _to help me find shards."

He stood and gently pushed Jakotsu aside as he strode towards the girl. Kagome backed up to the wall and tried to look away as the sly and undeniably handsome mercenary pinned her down. His deep azure eyes bore into her soft brown orbs and he let her chin rest between his index finger and his thumb as he pressed his cheek against hers. _What the heck is he doing?_

"Believe me when I say _begging_," he whispered, resting his free hand on her hip. "After all, there are just _so_ many things that I'd _love_ to do to you."

Kagome's eyes widened and her body went as rigid as a rock. _He can't be serious!_

A deep cherry-pink flooded her cheeks and she could hear her heart beating in her ears, blood racing in her veins as she struggled to get a hold of herself. She was practically a grown woman after all, even if she _was_ a priestess she still human. "Bankotsu..." His name rolled off of her lips almost as if she had said it a million times before and the slight gasp in her voice wasn't lost on him either. _What's wrong with me?_

Bankotsu's eyes glinted with mischief when he pulled back and saw her rosy cheeks. _Is she serious?_ He tightened his grip on her hip and pulled her against him, loving the way she pursed her eyes shut and tried to shut him out. Brushing a few strands of her silken black hair out of her face he couldn't help but let the low chuckle in his belly spill from his lips.

Kagome peeked at him and her face reddened even more when she saw him burst out into a fit of laughter. He could barely keep himself from falling to the floor when she began to shout at him. "What's so funny?"

The boy backed away and held his stomach; he couldn't believe what she was thinking! After finally settling down he wiped a tear from his face and inhaled deeply. "I can't believe what you thought I meant!"

"_Excuse_ me? What are you talking about?" She rested her hands on her hips and scowled at him.

"You! You actually thought that _I_ would go for someone like _you_!"

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks and for a moment she thought she saw her soul float out of her mouth and into the skies. _Of course he didn't mean __**that**__ I'm such an __**idiot**__!_ Kagome fell back against the wall and slid down as she stared blankly up at the wooden ceiling. Judging by the look of it, they'd be in trouble if it rained. Of course, she only made that observation in a poor attempt at escaping the reality of the humiliation that was brought on by Bankotsu's play on words. It was worth it, if only for a single instant.

Jakotsu stifled a laugh and turned away when he suddenly realized what had transpired between the two. _She's such a gullible fool!_

_Sshhh...._

The paper door was slid open and a tall figure entered.

The azure-eyed leader turned and smiled. "Ah, Suikotsu! You've returned."

Kagome met the doctor's gaze and made no move to greet him. Why should she? They _did_ kidnap her..._and_ humiliate her. If she hadn't remembered the day Kouga proclaimed his love to her from the mountains she would have counted it as the most embarrassing day of her life.

"Boy, have I got a story to tell you!" Bankotsu gave Kagome a knowing look and snickered. "Unless of course, _you'd_ rather tell him what happened."

Kagome slapped her hand to her face. It _was_ the most embarrassing day of her life; and not only that, she had to _hear_ about it too! "Jerk..."

Bankotsu shrugged his shoulders. "Sticks and stones," he retorted.

Dammit, he was _really_ starting to get under her skin now! "Rrghh... I'm _leaving_!" She stamped over to the paper door and slammed it wide open. _I need to strangle the person who started that saying. _She walked quickly but as the sound of the steps creaking behind her reached her ears, she couldn't help but glance backward. _What is he smiling about __**now**__? _Her eyes fell on the bottle he held between his thumb and index finger; now he was more than just a jerk, he was a thief! "Why you--!"

He tucked the tiny container into the folds of his blue and white haori. "Feisty," he mused, watching as an alluring fire began to burn within her lovely eyes. "We can always come for you later," he said carelessly. "Besides, I've got a message for that mutt of yours."

She felt a nerve begin to twitch. "What am I? A pigeon?"

Bankotsu shrugged for what seemed the tenth time that day. "Well--"

"Don't answer that," she interjected.

He pouted; at least he had _some_ time to mess with her. "Fine, just make sure you tell him and your little friends that the Band of Seven is no longer affiliated with Naraku."

His words sounded more like a command than a request and Kagome swallowed hard when she took in the meaning of his words. _If he's not working for Naraku, that must mean that...! No, Naraku can't be dead, otherwise he would've said so. _

"Girl, did you hear me?"

"Huh?" Kagome looked up at Bankotsu dumbly; how could she have spaced off like that! "What were you saying?"

He groaned; she had the attention span of a child. "Forget it, just remember to tell your dog-boy about Naraku," he said, waving his hand in dismissal.

Was he really letting her off so easily?

She stared at him and he frowned in discomfort, beginning to eye her suspiciously. "What's that look for?"

"Oh! Nothing, nothing..." She clapped her hands together and counted her blessings as she turned on her heel. "I'll be going now; bye!"

Kagome sprinted off into the forest and never looked back until she reached the well, quickly noting that Inuyasha and Shippo were missing. _No wonder, it's already getting dark._ Only a sliver of the sun now remained above the horizon and the rich scarlet colors that painted the sky began to bubble away as a grandiose indigo took over and took its time in leading the stars into the sky.

Kagome exhaled and began to head for the village. When she arrived, she saw the light from a fire burning brightly in Kaede's hut and the silhouette of Miroku's staff dancing up against one of the walls. _Thank goodness..._ She thought, relieved that her friends weren't still looking for her out in the dark. She climbed the incline easily and pushed the woven door out of her way as she entered the hut. All eyes landed on her. "Hey," she greeted meekly.

"Lady Kagome," Miroku started, his voice holding a note of surprise. "We thought you'd been kidnapped."

Kagome scratched the back of her head. "Err--yeah, I guess so," she mumbled. "I ran into some trouble," she admitted, plopping down between Sango and Kaede's sleeping form. She saw that Shippo was already snoozing in Kirara's warm fur.

"Trouble? Of what sort?" Sango asked, brushing her fingers through Kirara's silken mane.

"I sort of ran into the Band of Seven. They kidnapped me, but after taking my shards of the jewel they let me go... and they said that they were no longer involved with Naraku..."

Miroku's eyes widened. "No longer involved? How is that possible? Naraku would never allow something like this...!"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, at first I thought they meant that they killed Naraku, but if they did, he probably would've just said so."

"By 'he' you mean Bankotsu, yes?" Miroku inquired.

"Yeah, he definitely would've said something if he killed Naraku. I mean--he's got an ego the size of Japan!" Kagome stretched her arms to emphasize her point and Sango paused, taken aback by her friend's exclamation.

"Sounds just like a certain half-demon," Sango said, an amused expression crossing her features.

Kagome's eves roved over the room. "Wait... where _is_ Inuyasha?"

Miroku and Sango exchanged looks. Both of them had completely forgotten about their companion and unknowingly left him out in the forest searching alone and in the dark of night.

Sango lifted her fingers from Kirara and set them in her lap. "Do you think we should search for him?"

Miroku coughed and cleared his throat. "Perhaps it would be wiser to let him run in circles rather than over our heads when he realizes that we returned to Kaede's hut long before himself."

Sango's face dropped. "That's just your way of saying that you're too lazy to go out and look," she muttered.

Miroku soon found himself being dragged out of the hut by the demon slayer and he quickly realized that if he wanted to avoid another trip to the hot springs he would have to pick himself up from the ground.

Kagome smiled; they probably didn't even notice how much they resembled a married couple. "Wait up!" She called, jogging to catch up with the two.

Minutes of silent walking led them to the base of the sacred tree and at that point only the sounds of the crickets filled the air. "Do you suppose he'd be--"

Inuyasha dropped down from a nearby tree, a blur of red and silver before he landed softly on the ground in front of the group, eyes wide as saucers. "I can't find her!"

Kagome stepped out from behind Sango and Miroku, her eyes lighting up. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the sound of her voice. "Kagome? Where were you?" Concern shone in his smoldering amber eyes as he took her petite shoulders into his hands.

"Uh...I just got a little sidetracked," she mumbled.

"Sidetracked?"

"Yeah, well,_ kidnapped_, actually..."

His brows furrowed and he brought his face closer to her ebony tresses, down to the crook of her neck and then along her collar bone, sniffing out any irregular scents.

The fine hairs on her neck lifted and she could barely contain the shiver that wanted to travel down her spine, but after a moment of sniffing around he pulled back and scrunched his nose leaving Kagome nearly breathless with just that simple touch. "You were kidnapped by _Bankotsu_? How did you escape?"

She fidgeted with her fingers for a moment as she struggled to regain her composure. "He sorta just let me go... it was really weird."

"Just let you go? What'd he say?" Now he was interested; why would Bankotsu just let her run off after kidnapping her?

Miroku jumped into the conversation, clearing his throat to interrupt. "Shall we begin walking back to Kaede's?"

Inuyasha relinquished his hold on Kagome and the group started for Kaede's hut. A few steps later, Kagome began to tell Inuyasha everything that happened... other than her big moment of humiliation of course, leaving Inuyasha wondering about what else could have happened in the hours that she was gone.

----

The moon that had been shining brightly from its place in the sky earlier in the night now fell back into the darkness as the clouds enveloped it and the stars began to fall prey to the inky blackness of night. A certain half-demon woke to the whispers of the wind; right on cue for what he was planning.

He took a quick look at the ground below him before dropping from the tower-like tree he was sleeping on. With a soft _thud_ he was on his feet and soon stood at the entrance to Kaede's hut. His golden eyes flickered across the room through the boarded window and his stare landed on Miroku's sleeping form that lay against the wall near the door.

Crouching at the entrance he reached his hand in and tugged at Miroku's robes. "Hey, wake up...!"

Miroku blinked. _What in the...?_ Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he yawned and saw Inuyasha's silhouette through the woven door. "What is it?"

Inuyasha grabbed at Miroku's robes and led him down the hill, glancing back up at the hut before he began to speak. "Miroku, did Kagome say anything else about what happened between her and Bankotsu?"

Miroku's brows knit together as he tried to shake off his tiredness. "Inuyasha," he began, his voice taking a serious tone. "What are you getting at?" The monk leaned against a nearby fence and Inuyasha followed suit, taking a seat on one of the posts.

"Well, I know she got kidnapped and everything... but when I smelt her earlier, it wasn't 'cause I couldn't identify the smell, it was because she _reeked_ of him!" Inuyasha wrinkled his nose as he recalled the overwhelming scent of the assassin.

"Well, Lady Kagome _did_ say that she was taken to their hideout... perhaps they'd been living in there for days. Would their scent not linger about the residence?"

"There's no way she could smell _that_ much like him just from being in their hideout!"

"So... what _would_ make her smell of Bankotsu as much as you claim?"

Inuyasha stiffened and blushed, folding his arms into his robes as he looked away. "Well--you know," he said suggestively.

Miroku raised a brow. "Are you saying...?"

His blush deepened. "Well, they must've at _least_ hugged...a lot," he mumbled shyly.

Miroku raised a brow, Inuyasha's sentence piquing his interest. "Is it likely that she's had sexual contact with him?"

Inuyasha nearly fell off the fence and onto his face. "Are you _crazy_? Why would she go off with _him_?"

Miroku clucked his tongue at the half-breed. "Well, isn't that why you're so up in the air about it? Because you're _jealous_?"

The word jealous echoed in the recesses of Inuyasha's mind but at the same time a part of his mind shut down and forced the word out the other ear. "I am _so_ not jealous! Why would I be after a someone like her anyways? She's always mad at me! Plus she's always complaining about wanting to go home and...and--!"

"And what, Inuyasha?"

Running out of things to say, he turned away and grunted. "Look, _I'm_ just worried that she and Bankotsu have got--_something_ going on!"

"Riiight," Miroku drawled. "And I suppose this _something_ is a little more than hugging." The monk knew he was hitting nerves, and it pleased him to no end when Inuyasha blew up in his face.

"Shut up!"

Miroku snickered. "Whatever you say Inuyasha... but seriously, do you think they had sex?"

"Is that _all_ you can say after this?" Inuyasha's face was priceless.

"Well, no... While I'd love the conversation to continue in this direction, I must say that if Kagome really _is_ involved with the Band of Seven; Bankotsu or otherwise, we may have much trouble ahead of us... And not only that, but the chances of us actually collecting the shards of the jewel on our own will diminish almost completely."

Inuyasha nodded. "You're right; without Kagome we might as well be going around with blindfolds on," he muttered. "But we could still--"

"Inuyasha." Miroku's violet eyes burned with seriousness. "Lady Kikyo _may_ have the ability to sense the jewel shards, but bringing her into this will only make matters worse." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The half-demon's predictability was the same as always. "Besides, we haven't yet confirmed anything... for now, I think it would be best for us to just get some rest. If worse comes to worst we'll discuss things as a group." With that, he was off and Inuyasha could only sit and mull things over.

_Dammit... that monk just knows __**everything**__ doesn't he? _Inuyasha thought sarcastically. _Then again, he __**does**__ have a point..._ "Argh! This is so stupid!"

**End of Chapter 3**

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**With all the changing and everything on chapter two I never got a chance to include the reviewer replies in the chapter so for chapter three I'm starting it. XD**

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**Yuti-Chan: **OMG I love you! You reviewed not once, but twice! I wasn't expecting to get a review for the "new" chapter two but you reviewed! Thank you so much!

**kittyb78: **Thanks! I hope you read chapter two after I changed it! It's got fluff! (Who doesn't love fluff?) I just hope that you also like the new direction I took with Bankotsu... e___e;;

**aislin94: **You're right! Long chapters _are_ better, but I'm just bad at writing in third person perspective so everything gets worse (I think) xD. And no problem about the english, I think it's cool if you speak another language!

**Omica21:** Ta-dah! Chapter three is here! Thanks for the review by the way, I'm praying that you liked chapter three!

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**Well, that's it for reviewer replies! (Not much but every review counts!) Anyways, I know the summary of this story and the actual content aren't connecting yet but I promise everything will come together soon! Again, thank you to all the reviewers and readers, I hope you enjoyed chapter three! Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far! See you in chapter four! :)**

**(6/25/09: I recently had the idea of including characters and elements from the Inuyasha Secret of the Cursed Mask game but I wanted to take a poll on how familiar you guys are with it, so please stop by my profile and vote! Thanks you!)  
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	5. Midnight Sun

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any similarities in this fanfiction, other published materials, or real life is purely by coincidence and copyright infringement was not intended. All rights to the Inuyasha series belong to its original creator, Rumiko Takahashi.**

Hey guys, I'm back with chapter four and there's a positive and negative about this chapter. Positive is that it's a fluffy pillow (sort of), and negative is that our beloved assassin will not have much face time in this chapter... but don't worry, his chance will come soon. In fact, he'll eventually be dominating this fic. :) Anyways, I mentioned involving the Inuyasha game in this story but since the poll results showed that not many of you are familiar with it, I've decided to incorporate only tiny bits and pieces that anyone can pick up on. Also, forgive my failure at writing Inuyasha. I tend to let him get...out of hand most of the time.

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****Pieces of Time  
Chapter 4: Midnight Sun  
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"I am _not_ jealous..." Inuyasha watched the sky slowly change to an effervescent blue-violet and crossed his arms over his chest. "I am _not_ jealous...!" He repeated. His face was tinged red and he couldn't help but continue muttering to himself in denial. "I can't be... not of Kagome," he mumbled softly. His golden gaze fell downwards and he watched her turn in her sleep through the window of the hut.

"Nngh...no...! Stop," Kagome whispered, her voice quiet and incoherent with sleep. She turned on her side and brought her arms closer to her chest.

_"Stop! Bankotsu what are you--"_

_The blue-eyed mercenary ignored her protests and brought her close to hug her tightly. "Kagome..." He buried his face in the crook of her neck and his hand roamed freely from her shoulder to the small of her back. "Stay with me," he whispered, bringing his hand against the back of her head to brush his fingers through her silky hair._

_Kagome avoided his gaze and looked to the ground. "N--no, I can't! I have to go back to--"_

_"To that stupid mutt, I know." The hand in her hair stilled and rested at the base of her neck. "Why would you go back to __**him**__?"_

_Kagome's heart seemed to jump at his words. "It's because... I love him," she answered promptly._

_He stiffened and suddenly pulled back, hands on her shoulders in the blink of an eye as he shook her lightly. "You __**don't **__love him," he argued, his cerulean eyes sparking with an electrifying intensity._

_Her brows knit together and she glared. Who was __**he**__ to tell her who she loved? "I __**do**__!" Her arms went straight at her sides and her hands balled into fists as she challenged him._

_He lifted a brow in amusement but the intensity in his eyes remained. "If you love him so much, then what are you doing here?"_

_"Excuse me?" Kagome was taken aback by his words and her brown eyes widened in disbelief. "__**You**__ kidnapped __**me**__, remember?" Her finger jabbed into his chest and she began to feel like a fool when he just stood there, unfazed by her actions._

_"I meant, what are you doing __**here**__ in __**my**__ arms instead of that dog-boy's you claim to love so much?"_

_Kagome stilled. He was right. What __**was**__ she doing in his arms?_

_Suddenly the voices of the remaining Band of Seven filled the forest around them and they all seemed to be calling out to them. "Bankotsu! Kagome...!"_

The sun filtered in through the window of the hut and for a moment she just laid there motionlessly, unable to fathom how she could dream about--"Kagome!"

"Huh?" She shot up from bed and met face to face with Inuyasha. "What are you...?"

"It's time to wake up," he stated, pointing behind him to show that the rest of the gang was already up and about. "Sango and Miroku are already prepared to leave."

"Oh... sorry," she said lamely, still in somewhat of a trance from her dream.

Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously. Something was up and he didn't like it. "C'mon, let's go," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "We've got a lot of ground to cover and way more jewel shards to find, after all, we've got the Band of Seven running around doing god knows what," he muttered, gauging her reaction.

She paused and stiffened. "Right," she agreed hesitantly.

What was that--that hesitance...? She couldn't really be _involved_ with Bankotsu, could she? He folded his arms and pursed his lips into a fine line as he watched her fold up her bed, the thing she called a "sleeping bag". Whatever she was doing—he still wasn't jealous.

His behavior didn't go unnoticed and Kagome swallowed nervously as she rolled up her sleeping bag. Why was he staring? Did she say something in her sleep? _Oh no, what if I said something about Bankotsu in my sleep? _She hurried to pack the sleeping bag away and nearly fell over when she lifted her over-stuffed pack.

Inuyasha steadied her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You OK?"

_"...what are you doing __**here**__ in __**my**__ arms...?"_

"I'm fine!" Kagome jumped backwards and tried to laugh it off. "You know, just clumsy me, heehee!"

"Riiiiight... anyways, we gotta get moving."

"Yeah, don't worry, I'm ready."

The two filed out of the hut and walked down the hill to the main village road and met up with the rest of the group.

"Kagome!" Shippo smiled and jumped onto her shoulder. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah it was good," she replied.

Shippo's smile dropped a little. "What's wrong Kagome?"

"Ah... nothing!"

"It doesn't seem like 'nothing'," Inuyasha muttered, interrupting the conversation.

Miroku rolled his eyes. _He __**is**__ jealous_.

"Miroku," Sango whispered, "what's wrong with Inuyasha?"

Miroku smiled knowingly. "Let's just say that Inuyasha has some jealousy issues."

Sango frowned. "He's jealous? Of what?"

Miroku draped his arm over Sango's shoulder as they continued walking. "My dear Sango..." Feeling a chill go down his spine he lifted his arm and backed away from Sango. "Erm, perhaps I shouldn't tell you," he said, noticing that Inuyasha seemed to have his death-glare locked in place.

Inuyasha jumped in front of the monk and let the others go on ahead. "You're damn right you shouldn't tell her! Besides, I'm _not_ jealous!"

Miroku rolled his eyes again and looked at Inuyasha. "Deny it all you like but I know jealousy when I see it Inuyasha."

Watching Miroku leave without giving him another chance to argue, he stomped his feet in place and yelled out, "I am _not_ jealous!"

By nightfall the gang hadn't found a single jewel shard and hadn't been deterred by any demons either... the air in the mountains was beginning to create an eerie atmosphere.

"Inuyasha, let's stop here for tonight," suggested Kagome. She dropped her pack and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Climbing this mountain is the worst," she complained.

Inuyasha looked up at the dark night sky and agreed uncharacteristically easily. "Miroku, Sango, I'm gonna check out the surroundings," he stated, taking off into the darkness of the surrounding trees.

"Hey, isn't Inuyasha acting a little strangely?" Shippo jumped down from Kagome's shoulder and gave the group a questioning look.

Miroku waved it off. "It's nothing to worry about Shippo, Inuyasha will be fine." Turning away from the fox, a grave expression crept onto his handsome features. The air was beginning to feel heavy and ominous. Kikyo's soul collectors weaved over and under the distant trees, glowing a faint white in the dark of the falling night.

Stumbling away, Shippo mumbled quietly, "if you say so..."

Sango set her weapon down and pat Kirara's soft fur, feeling the tension in the air as Kagome stared off at the forest Inuyasha had disappeared into. Kirara mewled softly, rubbing her head against Sango's legs as if she could feel the sting of pain and pull of sadness in Kagome's chest.

Noticing the deathly quiet atmosphere, Kagome shook herself out of her reverie and put on a fake smile. "Should we set up camp?"

Miroku nodded and hid the solemn expression on his face, grabbing Shippo's attention with a motion of his hand. "Come along Shippo, let's collect firewood."

Shippo looked over to Kagome and Sango before following behind Miroku with Kirara tagging along.

Kagome moved to sit on the ground and Sango walked over, draping her arm around Kagome's shoulders and pulling her close. Kagome bit her lip but managed a soft and broken whisper, "Sango I—I can usually handle this... but—why is she _everywhere_...?"

Sango felt pity for her friend and squeezed Kagome's arm as if to reassure her that she was there. Kagome leaned closer and began sniffling. "Everywhere we go... she's always there," Kagome mumbled, brushing her sleeve across her face to wipe the spilling tears away. "Why can't she—just for once...!" Kagome buried her face in her hands and felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness envelop her, but when she felt Sango squeeze her arm again another feeling washed over her. Shame.

Kagome hiccuped and suddenly pulled away from Sango, forcing a smile and roughly drying her tears. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her throat constricting and burning as she spoke. "I—I shouldn't do this to you..." She stood and left the demon slayer sitting alone as she rushed up the mountain. What was she thinking? She couldn't go crying to Sango all the time—it was just plain selfish.

Running blindly up the hill she felt the burning tears begin to return, and her vision blurred with every step she took. Finally beginning to return to her senses she slowed to a stop and blinked. The tears rolled down her cheeks much more gracefully and the fresh breeze seemed to put her troubled mind at ease.

Her brown eyes stared up at the moon but in an instant her vision was completely invaded by a familiar whirlwind and then the figure of a man she knew all too well—Kouga. She hurried to dry the tears, but he caught her arm in his callused hand and stared down at her with a knowing gaze filled with anguish. The mere thought of her being in this state—it made him feel sick to his stomach.

With her arm held tightly she forced her gaze downwards. It was embarrassing. Just standing there with tear streaks marring her face with one of her friends staring down at her with those eyes... those deep blue eyes filled with pity, sorrow, and something else she hadn't been able to identify. What was it?

His grip on her arm loosened slightly and his other hand came up to brush her obsidian tresses out of her eyes with a gentle touch. "I could smell it from miles away, Kagome..." His deep voice vibrated and echoed in her mind but she could only stand there speechlessly as he swept the pad of his thumb over her cheek and pushed the tears aside. "Your tears are wasted..."

Kagome wanted to make some sort of retort—at least a denial but her voice was captured tightly in her throat. Standing there without a word, she bit her lip to keep from crying even more.

Kouga sighed heavily. "I won't force you to look at me Kagome, but..." Something tugged strongly at his heartstrings and it wasn't sadness, it was anger.

Dropping his hands from her and releasing her from his grip completely he stepped back a little and balled his fists. "I just can't stand how he takes advantage of you!"

Kagome recoiled slightly at the loudness of his voice but stayed silent, listening to the wolf go on.

He turned away and slapped a hand to his face, beginning to massage his temples to push back the oncoming headache. "How can you just let him treat you like this, Kagome? Things would be so much better for you if you would just let me--"

Kouga turned back to see Kagome's soft lips parting as if to speak and he quieted. "Kouga..." She took a deep breath and stepped next to him. "I thought I could handle this... because a long time ago I realized that I just can't compete with Kikyo..."

Kouga took Kagome's hand and led her to sit next to him on the grassy terrain, never taking his eyes off of her serene beauty. "The dead priestess, right...?" She nodded.

"Kikyo gave up everything just to be with him and I get to see him all the time... but there's nothing I can do for him..." She lowered her gaze and squeezed Kouga's hand, beginning to tremble. "Every time he goes off with her I—I go off like this and start whining like a baby. I'm such a fool, Kouga..."

His gaze softened and his anger began to settle as he listened to her quiet voice. To him, it was like the chime of silver bells—soft and calming but also melancholy. He raised his hand as if to pull her close but at the first touch she flinched away as if she had been burned. "Kagome..." He brought his hand back and curled his fingers slowly before letting his arm fall back down.

It seemed that no matter how many times the mutt ran off with another woman Kagome stayed ever faithful and hopeful. It pained him to see her just take everything the way she did, but it was even worse because he knew there was nothing he could do short of killing Inuyasha and just kidnapping Kagome like he had the first time they met...

Seeing the hurt expression on the wolf's face, she suddenly spoke out, "I'm sorry, I--"

Kouga smirked mirthlessly and ran his hand over his scalp. "No, Kagome, it's nothing... but... let's just stay like this for a while?" He raised their entwined hands and smiled at her.

It felt like her heart was defrosting—melting away a protective layer of ice to let in the warmth of a midnight sun. She hesitantly moved closer to Kouga, resting her head on his shoulder as time passed by in comfortable silence. He was there and that was all the comfort she needed.

Before he knew it her breathing had deepened and began a steady rhythm, signaling that she was fast asleep. He would have sat there with her forever if time would have let him, but when the wind began to pick up a frigid bite he decided fate was against him and that it was time for Kagome to return back to camp. He took a few seconds to stare at her in wonder. She was such a beautiful and intelligent young woman who seemed superior to any woman in his life... and yet her love was being trampled like a lone flower in the middle of a dirt road by an ungrateful dog.

He inwardly scoffed before shifting her into his lap and lifting her up into his arms gently, cradling her petite form against his chest as he set off toward the light of a campfire and the scent of food.

Inuyasha walked into the clearing, the bright orange campfire flames licking up towards the sky as it crackled and danced. The warmth filled the tiny area and lit the night up with a gentle glow, casting dark shadows all around.

Inuyasha's eyes drifted from one side of the camp to the other, silently scanning. Shippo heaved a sigh and stirred the noodles around in his cup. Miroku was sitting in silence, eyes glued to the groun with his staff held close. And Sango was sitting against a nearby tree petting Kirara with a solemn expression plaguing her gorgeous features. "What's wrong with you guys?" Everyone turned to look at the half-breed but nobody said a word. _What the hell's going on?!_

Inuyasha grunted in irritation but moved towards the campfire and spotted the boiling water along with the bowls of noodles. _Two?_ He picked one up and ripped away the plastic, taking off the lid to pour the scalding water into the foam bowl. Then suddenly it hit him. "Where's Kagome?" He set his food aside and looked to Sango whose expression turned into a half glare at the half-breed's idiocy. Miroku's expression softened when he looked up but before he managed to gain the courage to speak out, Inuyasha began sniffing the air.

He shot up from his seat and growled, "that fleabag!" Kouga's scent was getting closer and closer along with Kagome. Inuyasha marched over to where he smelled the wolf and glared when Kouga stepped into the light of the fire with Kagome settled in his arms. Inuyasha refrained from jabbing a clawed finger into the man's chest. "You--!"

"She's sleeping," Kouga growled warningly, effectively silencing Inuyasha until Kagome was settled against Kirara's transformed body, Sango kneeling next to them.

Inuyasha shoved Kouga away from the group and immediately lashed out at the wolf. "You mangy wolf, what the hell did you do with Kagome?!"

Kouga bared his fangs and growled loudly. "Me?! _You're _the one going off and breakin' her heart you stupid mutt!" Kouga pushed Inuyasha and continued glaring.

Inuyasha looked stupefied. "_Excuse_ me?! What the hell are you talking about?! _I_ didn't do nuthin'!"

"Oh yeah? What do you call running off with that dead priestess, huh?!" Kouga grabbed Inuyasha by the collar and shook him. "I thought I was pissed when you nearly let her die at the hands of the Band of Seven but I was wrong, this is _much_ worse!" He ground out angrily, taking in Inuyasha's dumb expression. "Unlike you I ain't so dense," he scoffed. "I can see that Kagome—_shit_!" Kouga released Inuyasha with a rough thrust, sending the half-breed stumbling to regain his balance.

"...that Kagome _what_?" Inuyasha raised a brow and stepped closer.

Kouga slammed his fist into the closest tree and turned his back on Inuyasha to contain his anger. "You figure it out yourself," he muttered, disappearing into a whirlwind before Inuyasha even had the chance to react.

"Dammit...! What hell was he saying?!" Inuyasha groaned and stomped back to camp. Everyone stared at him except for Kagome who was still sleeping. "What are _you_ looking at?" He mumbled, plopping down next to his bowl of noodles, beginning to shovel them into his mouth, completely ignoring the unsettling stares that were focused on him.

Meanwhile, the Band of Seven was in much better shape with their plans already set in motion.

Bankotsu waved Jakotsu over to him from where he sat with his back against the tree. "Hey Ban, why exactly are you so interested in that wench all of a sudden?"

Bankotsu crossed his arms. "She can see the jewel shards, remember?"

Jakotsu sighed and rolled his eyes. "But we've been doing fine without her this entire time! What difference does it make _now_?"

"Our number has gone down to _four_ it's not the same," Bankotsu argued. "While I can't say much for Mukotsu and Kyokotsu, Ginkotsu definitely carried his weight. For God's sake, the guy was a _tank_. Forget the fact that he couldn't move very easily, one hit and most of the demons we encountered were down for the count!"

Jakotsu frowned. "If you're getting lazy, that girl isn't exactly a tank... in fact, I bet we'd probably waste more time trying to protect her! Not to mention the fact that Inuyasha and his group would be chasing after us to get her back."

Bankotsu paused. "Alright, so maybe she _isn't_ a tank, but that's beside the point. All we need her to do is locate the shards. After she finds them, we can get rid of whatever has it and move onto the next shard. We spend less time wandering around which means we find more shards."

Jakotsu eyed his leader with uncertainty. "If you say so..."

Bankotsu grunted in acknowledgment before calling Suikotsu to his side. "Have you found anything out?" He asked lazily.

Suikotsu nodded. "They had a fight," he murmured.

Bankotsu raised a brow as if he had heard the most ridiculous statement in his entire life. "That's not much news..."

Suikotsu cleared his throat. "Let me clarify—I meant they had a _verbal_ fight. Their group isn't quite working out as usual," he explained.

"I see," replied Bankotsu. "What say we take a different approach from the usual, men?"

The remaining members of the Band of Seven all blinked. "What kind of approach?" They asked hesitantly.

"A more... _human_ approach," a devious smile tugged at his lips and he suddenly felt compelled to test his limits. "You guys will probably enjoy this mission because all you'll have to do is sit back and watch the show," he said slyly.

Somehow, the men didn't like where this plan was going. It left them all with a strange nagging feeling in the pits of their stomachs but none of them dared to speak against their leader. It seemed that this was one tidal wave they were gonna have to ride out 'till the end... or die along the way.

Bankotsu suddenly began chuckling in confidence. His plan was genius. Absolutely perfect, he decided.

His men looked on in slight horror. What the hell were they about to get involved in?!

Settling down, he coughed to clear his throat and resumed his devious smile. _Kagome—you're all __**mine**__._

**End of Chapter 4**

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So that's it for chapter four, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and please review!


	6. Bankotsu's Plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters. Any similarities in this fanfiction, other published materials, or real life is purely by coincidence and copyright infringement was not intended. All rights to the Inuyasha series belong to its original creator, Rumiko Takahashi.**

Hey guys, sorry its been awhile since the last update but school started and it's really chaining me down. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Pieces of Time**

**Chapter 5: Bankotsu's Plan  
**

Renkotsu cleared his throat and announced, "they've arrived." The fire-breathing man stepped aside to reveal a woman and a young girl, both looking none too pleased with the situation.

Jakotsu's eyes went wide at the sight and he all but killed someone. "_This_ is your _'human'_ approach?! Is this some kind of sick _joke_?!" He pointed his sword dangerously close to Kagura's throat in his rampage but withdrew his weapon when Bankotsu gave him a stern look. His jaw dropped. "This is _ridiculous_," he huffed.

Kagura scoffed, "are you two _lovers_ finished yet?" She leaned against a tall tree and began to fan herself, ruby eyes starting to flicker with annoyance as she scowled at the bickering fool. Kanna remained silent, mirror held perfectly between her two small hands.

"I suppose," Bankotsu mumbled, raising a brow at Jakotsu's antics. "Now then, I've got a little assignment for the two of you. Do you think you can handle it?"

Kagura looked at him in suspicion, her fan covering the lower half of her face as she paused to analyze him. "...that depends," she drawled, eyes narrowing slowly. "What exactly do you need us to do?"

Bankotsu smirked deviously. "I was hoping you'd ask. I need you to..." His voice became a low whisper and only Kagura could hear his words.

When he finished speaking she sighed. "I guess I'll have to," she said, pulling out her signature feather and throwing it to the ground. It expanded and she climbed onto it, Kanna stepping on silently.

Bankotsu smiled. "Good. Report back to me later," he commanded.

Kagura didn't reply as she rose into the air but Bankotsu knew she would return—she _had_ to. That little fact made him keep the smile on his face as he thought about what her report would sound like. _It'll be perfect,_ he thought.

High in the air, far out of Bankotsu's hearing range, Kagura snorted and cursed the dead man, "he just thinks he's so damn mighty," she muttered.

Kanna closed her eyes briefly and looked down at her mirror. "Naraku doesn't know..." she whispered softly, eyes drooping into a half-lidded state. She gripped the mirror more tightly and looked back to the forest from which they came with a distant look. "...but _he_ doesn't know either..."

Kagura listened to the little girl and took note of her words. "I see," she replied, slowing down as she hovered above a tiny, quaint-looking village, and a nearly identical one only about two miles South. "...but the two of them don't really need to _know_ anything, do they Kanna?"

Kanna pursed her lips together lightly as she stared down at the villages. She gave no reply as Kagura began her song—sending waves of wind down into the village, tearing apart homes and sending villagers this way and that. They were no more than dolls to her—soon to become her obedient slaves with the sweep of her fan and a single command. "Dance of the dead!"

Screams rose to their ears along with the bloody corpses of men, women, and even children, all of which stood and began to strike at the remaining villagers, slaughtering them without a single thought as Kagura continued to pull the strings. No more than five minutes later the village was completely destroyed, only the corpses of dead villagers standing in the middle of all the carnage and fire.

Kagura paused for a moment before making one last swing of her fan, commanding the puppets to begin walking South to the nearest village. When she saw them moving accordingly she snapped her fan shut and went ahead to their next destination.

"There," Kanna whispered, pointing to the trail.

"What is it?" Kagura glanced over and what she saw caused her lips to curve into a devilish smile. "Perfect timing," she commented, descending to the center of the village and calling out her arrival.

The villagers stepped out of there homes and looked on in confusion. "What's going on?" They whispered, all looking terribly lost in the mess of people.

Kagura looked down to Kanna. "Do it," she commanded.

Kanna stared down at her mirror and it began to glow with a pale white light. Everyone stared at the mirror and Kagura watched in amusement. After a few seconds Kanna looked up to the surrounding villagers. "Look into my mirror..." she whispered. She held the glass out a little more and suddenly the villagers lost the spark in their eyes and stood motionlessly around them.

The souls of the villagers floated around and entered the mirror quickly. Kagura noted Inuyasha's approaching scent and stepped back onto her feather. "Kanna, let's go," she said, allowing the girl to finish up and control the villagers from atop the feather.

Without even a single word, Kanna had the villagers walking about as if nothing had happened, appearing completely alive as they had prior to having their soul sucked away. As Inuyasha and the rest entered the village they were greeted warmly—suspecting absolutely nothing.

With the hustle and bustle of the village Kagome seemed to have wandered away from the rest of the group. "Oh geeze..." she looked left and right for the rest of them but finally gave up when she realized that every time she would get somewhere the villagers seemed to send her back to her spot with pushing and shoving as they moved hurriedly about the village. "Something's wrong with this place," she groaned, letting out a pent up breath of air.

Meanwhile, Miroku and Inuyasha found themselves in the company of beauties, all of them fluttering their lashes and smiling invitingly, giggling whenever Miroku said one of his famous pick-up lines. "Ladies, ladies you're all _much_ too beautiful! I couldn't possibly pick," he joked.

They all giggled. "Oh Miroku... you're _such_ a gentleman," they mewled, pawing at his robes.

Inuyasha scoffed and turned to stomp away when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. "Don't leave," said the woman, trying to pull him close. "You should have some _fun_..." She fluttered her long lashes and smiled with painted lips—she almost looked like a geisha without the overdone face powder, Inuyasha noted.

Inuyasha's face went red at her suggestive tone. "W—what?"

The woman's arms circled around his neck, soft strands of ebony hair falling to frame her heart-shaped face as she smiled seductively at him. "Don't play innocent," she whispered darkly—enticingly. She pressed herself against him, the silk of her kimono starting to fall to her shoulders as she leaned up for a kiss.

Inuyasha pulled back and held the woman away from him. "Look, I ain't interested," he muttered, flustered and still trying to get the persistent woman to release him.

She chuckled softly. "Oh? Well that's a shame... because _I_ am," she whispered, hands tugging at his robes as she pushed him into an alley and followed him in.

Miroku didn't even notice, too caught up in all the attention he was receiving. _This is heaven..._

Not too far away Sango stood with Kirara and Shippo, fighting to keep from being carried away by the villagers. "Something isn't right," she said.

Kirara mewled in agreement and transformed. Sango climbed on with Shippo and they headed for the skies. As soon as they were high enough Sango looked down in search of her friends, Shippo doing the same.

"I don't see them," said the fox child. "Where could they be?" For an instant Shippo looked to the sky as he breathed only to be met by a pair of sinister ruby eyes. "Kagura!"

Sango looked up and was met with Kanna's mirror. She froze and her soul left her body instantly.

"Sango!" Shippo reached for Sango's limp body and was pulled off of Kirara. Immediately, he transformed and caught the demon slayer, "Sango, are you alright?" He called worriedly. She didn't reply and he whined.

Kirara, however, was out for revenge. She growled fiercely and launched an attack only to be thrown back by Kagura's onslaught of wind blades. Again, Kirara charged, but with her patience wearing thin she allowed Kanna to finish off the cat demon.

The girl held out her mirror and did the same to the cat as she did with its master. Kirara's soul left her body and entered the mirror.

"Kirara!" Shippo moved to catch the cat as it transformed back into its weaker form. _What do I do?!_

Kanna looked at the mirror and saw it emitting small orbs of white light. "It's almost full..."

Kagura nodded. "We don't need to waste space on _that_ pathetic excuse for a demon," she laughed.

Shippo bit back a retort and made his escape. _I have to tell the others!_

As soon as Shippo reached the ground he caught sight of Miroku surrounded by women. "Miroku! This is no time to womanize, Sango and Kirara are in danger!" Shippo yelled and yelled but Miroku couldn't hear over the voices of the ladies chuckling and making conversation. "Miroku!"

Miroku paused. _Was that... Shippo?_

"What's wrong, monk?" Asked a girl, trailing her hands over his chest. "Don't you want to play?"

He chuckled. "Of course my lady, but I think I have business to attend to..." He moved to cut through the crowd of women but soon realized that they weren't ready to let go...literally.

They grabbed onto him and their earlier friendliness did a one-eighty. "Don't leave," they cooed evilly, tugging him in all directions.

"What are you doing?!" He gasped, tearing himself away from them. He held his staff in front to defend himself and quickly noticed Shippo jumping up and down, calling his name.

"Miroku! Sango and Kirara are in danger!"

Miroku rushed over to Shippo and his eyes went wide when he saw Sango's motionless form laying against a hut. "Shippo, what happened?!" He lay his head across her chest to listen for a heartbeat.

"It's Kagura and Kanna! They're _here_ in the village!" Shippo pointed to the sky and Miroku's brows knit together tightly when he realized that Kirara was also out of commission.

"We need to do something... Shippo, where is Inuyasha?"

Shippo shrugged. "I don't know, wasn't he with you?"

Miroku froze. "He must've gotten caught up with one of the women.... damn!" Miroku got up and rushed to find Inuyasha.

"Miroku, where are you going?!"

"I'll be back with Inuyasha, stay right there!"

"But...!" Shippo looked to the crowd of angry women and laughed nervously. "Nice day... huh?" They glared and didn't move. _That's freaky...!_ Shippo shivered and tried to look away.

"Shippo, what are you doing?"

"Ahh!" Shippo began to run in circles, shocked by the sudden voice.

"Shippo, it's just me," said Kagome, resting her hand on his head to calm him down.

"Oh! I knew that..." He blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"What's going on?" She asked, seeing Sango and Kirara laying against the hut. "Did something happen?"

Shippo nodded and looked disheartened. "Sango and Kirara had their souls stolen by Kanna... her and Kagura are up in the sky above the village and I think they're--"

Kagome froze. "Kagura and Kanna...? If they're here then... Naraku is definitely still alive... Shippo, I'm going to look for Inuyasha, I'll be right back, stay here!" She rushed off, leaving Shippo alone with the women once again.

He swallowed and averted his eyes. _Stop staring...!_

Kagome ran all over the village in search of Inuyasha, looking in stores and restaurants, even inns as she dashed across this way and that. Finally she was nearly back where she started when she spotted n alley she had yet to check. _Please be here,_ she pleaded, stepping around the corner and peering down the alley. What she saw sent her into a rage. "Inuyasha—_sit_!"

His face met the ground and the woman turned with a glare. "Who are _you_?" She crossed her arms over her half-revealed chest and huffed. "We were in the middle of something," she stated matter-of-factly.

Kagome gasped and then growled. "Oh really, so I _interrupted_ something, did I?!" She stomped over to Inuyasha and he held his hands up in defense, immediately standing up when he sensed her anger.

"Wait! Kagome it's not what it--"

"Not what it looks like? Yeah _right_, I'm not blind!"' She yelled and glared at the half-breed, waiting for his reply.

"Look, I am _telling _you I didn't do anything! _She_ came onto _me_!"

"But _you_ didn't _stop_ her!"

"I was _trying_!"

"Well you weren't trying hard enough!"

"_Excuse_ me?!"

"You heard me! You're such a _creep_!"

"_Me_? What about you and that fleabag Kouga?!"

"Kouga is just a friend and you _know_ that!"

"Well after seeing him getting all comfortable with you last night _I_ couldn't have guessed!"

"Inuyasha!"

"What?!"

"_Sit!_" Kagome growled and yelled, "_sit, sit, sit, sit, __**sit**__!_ You're such a pig!"

Just then, Miroku and Shippo ran into the alley. "Kagome!"

"Miroku? How did you find us?"

He chuckled, "I know _that_ sound _anywhere,_" he said, pointing down at Inuyasha's crumpled form with an amused smile.

Inuyasha stood. "Well thanks a lot," he muttered, dusting himself off. "So what's going on? You guys look like you've been running around like crazy."

Miroku's expression darkened. "Kagura and Kanna are in the village, Kanna's mirror has Sango and Kirara's soul...wait, Shippo, you were supposed to be with Sango and Kirara..."

"Umm..." Shippo was speechless but then a shadow fell over his tiny form and he turned just in time to dodge the slash of an all too familiar sword. "Sango!"

The demon slayer was clearly under Kanna's spell but her movements were just as practiced as Sango herself, which sent the group dodging in all directions. Once they were out of the alley they spaced themselves out and waited for Sango's next move.

Kagura and Kanna floated around nearby. "My, my, _now_ what will you do?" Kagura sang, fanning herself as she made a show of the situation.

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed and he drew out his tetsusaiga, ready to strike at the demons at the first chance. Miroku kept a firm grip on his staff and held his ground with Shippo hiding behind. Further back, Kagome sat crouched on the ground with her bow and arrow ready to shoot.

"Oh? You think you can attack me like this?" Kagura rose higher on the feather, completely out of their reach. "If you want to attack me you'll have to start growing wings," she joked. "But until then... Kanna, strike," she ordered, pointing to the half-breed.

Kanna tilted the mirror slightly and sent Sango lunging after Inuyasha, sword swinging all over the place in a flurry of strikes and hits. Inuyasha leaped into the air to avoid the attacks but came into contact with Sango's hiraikotsu as soon as his feet left the ground. The blow sent him flying across the sky and crashing into a nearby house. Dust was everywhere and planks of wood were splintered into thousands of pieces around the half-breed. "Dammit!" He coughed and stood back up. "Sango, wake _up_!"

His voice wouldn't reach her and again he was forced to dodge the woman's blows. "Miroku, _do_ something!"

Just when he was about to unleash his wind tunnel, Naraku's poisonous insects appeared, staring him down as if they were challenging him. Knowing full well the consequences of taking in the insects, he wrapped his wind tunnel and picked up his staff once again, attempting to reach Kagura by leaping atop the roofs. His plan was foiled however, when Kirara jumped in and pinned him to the ground. "Kirara! Snap out of it!"

He fought Kirara off with his staff, and now all that was left was Kagome and Shippo. She stood there and drew back the arrow, took aim and fired, a blast of white light filling the sky before narrowly missing its target—the mirror.

Kagura scowled. "You really think we'll let you break the mirror _again_?"

"I won't miss this time," Kagome said confidently, taking aim once more. "Get ready!" The arrow flew across the sky and hit the mark, but when Kagome looked for the look of horror on their face she saw Kagura smirking.

Inuyasha managed to hold Sango against the wall and watch as the mirror burst. "What are _you_ smiling for?" He shoved Sango aside and charged ahead, sword ready to attack. "Wind scar!" His attack was thrown off by the mirror's last bit of strength and he dodged quickly, barely getting Sango out of the way in time.

Kagura quickly pulled something from her sleeve and held it against the mirror. "What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha held his arm in front of his face to keep the bright light from blinding him. "What the—that's a shard of the jewel!"

The tainted shard melded into the broken pieces of glass and brought them back together with a flash of black and violet lights. "Thank you very much, Inuyasha... now, how would you like to be the first victim?"

Inuyasha glared. "Try me!"

"Very well," she mumbled, signaling for Kanna to use the mirror as she controlled the feather and made it swoop in front of the half breed.

Kagome watched helplessly. "Inuyasha!" She screamed, watching as he disappeared into the mirror in a flash of violet light. "What did you do?!"

Kanna turned the mirror towards Kagome and she saw Inuyasha standing in a clearing—right by the well leading to her time. "How did you—what's going on?"

Kagura lifted off into the air. "Can't you see? We've trapped him in the mirror and he doesn't even realize it..." she mocked. "Now, if you'd like him back _alive_ then I suggest that you hurry and find the Band of Seven by _yourself_... oh yes, and have fun with my goodbye gift." With that, she was off.

Her corpse puppets came marching into the village and Sango and Kirara were finally back to themselves. "Lady Kagome, Sango, take cover!

With Naraku's poisonous insects gone he could use his wind tunnel and so he pulled away the prayer beads and in no time Kagura's present was cleared, giving them time to breathe. "Damn," muttered Miroku, breathing heavily. "Why does she want you to go alone?"

Kagome chewed her lip. "I have no idea... but I have to hurry! I need to get back to Kaede's village!"

Sango nodded. "Kirara, let's—"

"No! Sango, I have to go _alone_ you heard Kagura!" Kagome sighed. "If I go with you guys I don't know what they'll do to Inuyasha... so I have to play by their rules..."

"Kagome..." Sango looked to Miroku for help but all the monk could do was nod.

"We understand," he said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Just remember that this is the Band of Seven—they're dangerous assassins—_killing_ machines..."

Kagome nodded slowly but stayed determined.

Sango looked completely exasperated. "Kagome, if you won't let us come with you at _least_ let Kirara take you there and stay at Kaede's village in case something happens," Sango argued.

"Alright," agreed Kagome, brushing her hand over Kirara's head before climbing on. "I'll be fine," she reassured them, smiling. "I'll see you later," she said, Kirara already starting to carry her away.

On the other end, Kagura had met up with Bankotsu and reported her mission. "...so the mirror really did work," she finished. "He's right in here," she explained, pointing at the mirror in Kanna's hands.

Bankotsu's hand cupped his chin as he looked into the mirror in amazement. "Well now... _that's_ quite handy," he laughed, taking the mirror into his hands and staring at Inuyasha wandering around some random scenery. "Now then, that's all," he said rudely, waving the two girls off.

Kagura refrained from decapitating him and went off with Kanna. "That brat," she muttered. "When Naraku's plan is complete I'll be glad to be rid of him..."

Bankotsu continued to stare into the mirror, completely intrigued. _I wonder..._ Bankotsu closed his eyes and imagined a crow demon in a tree. When he opened his eyes he stared into the mirror and saw Inuyasha fighting off an ugly crow just as he had pictured. _Perfect..._

Renkotsu appeared from the trees and looked at the mirror in his leader's hands. "Did it work?"

"Yeah, it did. Good job Renkotsu—you really _are_ the smart one," he smiled, admiring the man's intelligence.

"Hmph," he smirked. "I suppose... but brother, couldn't we have gone about this with an _easier_ method? We could have just killed them and taken the girl..."

Bankotsu wagged his finger in the air. "That wouldn't do, she would _never_ want to work for us if we did that," he explained.

"So what do you intend to do with the mirror, then?"

"It's blackmail," he replied simply. "I threaten to kill her _beloved_ Inuyasha unless she helps us out. With her on our side we'll track down shards, her friends won't be able to really 'rescue' her, _and_ the mutt is out of the picture for as long as we want. It all works out," he explained.

"I see..."

"Anyways, you can go off and relax with the others, I'll handle the girl alone," Bankotsu said, sending his comrade off to relax.

Renkotsu nodded and was gone in an instant. _There's more to this,_ he thought suspiciously.

Bankotsu continued watching Inuyasha in the mirror. _How interesting,_ he thought. About an hour later he heard the doors slide open and saw Kagome storm in with fire in her eyes. "What did you _do_ with him?!"

He stood and rested his hands on her shoulders. "There's nothing to worry about as long as you do as I say," he explained.

"Do as you say? What do you want from me...?" She held onto the shard necklace hidden beneath her blouse. "Is this about my ability to detect the shards?" She questioned, eyes narrowing in irritation.

"You're smarter than you look," he commented, "but that isn't all. There are also some _other_ things I'd just _love_ for you to do for me." He appeared devilish in the light of the setting sun filtering through the windows and Kagome's heart jumped at the suggestive tone in his voice.

"What _other_ things...?" She tried to back away but his hands held her firmly in place.

"I know I wasn't exactly a _gentleman_ the last time we met, but... how would you like to give this a second try?" He pulled her against his chest and snaked his arms around his waste. "I'm sure we could work _something_ out," he whispered seductively.

She blushed madly. "You're—but you—I—what?!" She looked completely flustered and her heart was beating wildly. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"

Something about the depth in his sapphire eyes and the hint of pure enjoyment that glimmered in his eyes told her otherwise, but she prayed to whoever was in the heavens to let it all be a dream. _This is some kind of sick joke, isn't it? This can't be happening!_

Bankotsu held her in a strong embrace, his body heat melting together with hers as she inhaled the scent of sweet grass and a unique scent she was completely enticed by. He turned the tables and spun her around to press her back against the wall. "I'm sure you already know that he's trapped in the mirror, but what _I_ know is that you'll do _anything_ to get him back, right?"

Kagome turned away in defiance, not saying a single word in reply to his conclusions.

"Hmm... well, I guess I should've expected this," he mumbled. "...Unfortunately for you, I can be a very _patient_ man when I want to be. So, if you want to stay here like this forever I'd be more than glad to comply... but if you'd like to be given some space—well you'll have to _earn_ it."

"_Earn_ my space? How exactly do you want me to go about _that_?"

He hummed for a moment, thinking. "Hand over your shards," he commanded.

"I can't do _that_!"

"Well your dog boy can't make much use of the shards if he's trapped in _there_ anyways," he argued.

She growled. "Fine," she muttered, tearing the jewel necklace from her neck and shoving it to his chest. "Now, back off," she said irritably.

"Whoah..." He stepped back with his hands up, one of them holding the jewels. "You're a feisty one, aren't you?"

She blushed a bright pink but wiped the memory of the conversation from her mind. "I'm tired," she muttered. _Maybe if I pretend to be asleep he'll leave me alone..._

"Tired? Well that's pretty straightforward," he joked slyly. "I didn't realize you were so _eager_."

"_Eager_?! All I want to do is sleep!"

He whistled, "definitely _eager_."

"Argh! You're such a _pervert_!"

"Hey! I may be a merciless killer but I am _not_ a _pervert!_"

"Could've fooled _me_," she huffed.

He glared and held her in his grip again. "Look, I'm the leader of the Band of Seven for a _reason_ so it would really help if you didn't piss me off," he muttered. "I can only be so patient," he mumbled.

Suddenly realization dawned on her. _He's right... if I keep on acting like this I'll be a bloody mess in no time!_ She gulped. "Right... I'm—I'm sorry," she whispered.

Something felt like it was tugging at his chest and suddenly he couldn't resist the urge to press her against the wall, brush away the strands of loose hair and whisper against her ear with a seductive tone he thought was long gone with his first round of death... "Kagome..."

She felt heat coursing through her veins and blood rushing to her face—heart beating in her ears as loudly as drums and sending an electric shock dancing up her spine. _What's he doing...?_ She was breathless and felt as though the world had stopped.

He pressed his knee between her legs and felt their breaths mingling as he let the heat of the moment take over. Something was wrong with him, he decided, but maybe _wrong_ wasn't the same as _bad_ he reasoned, far too caught up in the moment to think. All he could hear was the pulsing of his heart and the sound of Kagome's quiet breathing. He pressed impossibly closer and felt her soft body melt against his... "Kagome... kiss me."

**End of Chapter 5**

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Hrm... so I'm having some real fun with Bankotsu though I still have a lot of issues with keeping some of the characters in character... It makes me have to think a whole lot more about everything...

**Yuti-Chan: **As always, thanks for the constant reviews!

**omica21: **Oh yes, fun, fun, and more fun! I really wish I could just jump into the good stuff but I still want this story to have lots and lots of plot so... hee hee. Thanks for the review!

**kittyb78: **Haha, Bankotsu being determined was something I was really looking forward to but he's still not quite there yet... but don't worry I'm sure I'll find ways to make things a little more intense soon enough. :) Thanks for the review!

**enma: **Thank you! :D

**kouga's older woman: **Thank you! :)

**CrazySugar: **Of course he is! He _always_ is! Thanks for the review!

**The Jackal:** Thank you very much, I always worry about keeping them in character so hearing that from you is really awesome! I hope I don't disspoint you with this story! Thanks for reviewing!

Well, that's it for now, thank you for reading, please review!


	7. New Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.**

It's been awhile but I'm back with chapter 6! I had a case of writer's block for the longest time so this chapter is still sort of short but... yeah. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!

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**Pieces of Time**

**Chapter 6: New Beginnings**

"_Kiss me..."_

Kagome squeezed her eyes shut, heat radiating from her cheeks as his breath fanned across her face and sent a bolt of electricity down her spine. He was pressing impossibly closer and suddenly her mind went in a flash of white light and all she could manage to think about were his deep sapphire eyes and the feeling of urgency that tugged at her chest.

Without a second thought she lifted her hands to his face and brushed the soft pads of her fingers over his cheeks, running them through his ebony tresses and pulling him in like a force of gravity—slow and somehow sensuous like the swing of a darkly entrancing pendulum...

Bankotsu let out a low growl as he finally closed the distance between them, encircling her waist with rough, callused hands. He brushed them over every curve of her voluptuous body and ravaged her soft lips, igniting a desire from deep within himself.

He suddenly pulled his hands away and grabbed at her small hands, gripping them tightly and pushing her against the wall in an almost desperate manner... but she didn't care.

Kagome gasped for air but he only continued his onslaught of kisses and with every moment she felt her heart beating its way out of her chest, pounding and throbbing as if it were ready to burst. With frantic hands she began a futile struggle against him, enticing him further as she thrashed against him, her long legs tangling with his.

Her breaths shortened until she was panting but when she felt his hands trace along her body and reach beneath her shirt, pulling at the cotton of her bra and flattening his palms over her chest she couldn't help but gasp in mortification and realization.

_Smack!_

Bankotsu stumbled backwards, completely taken aback by Kagome's sudden retaliation. He stood with his hand cradling his stinging cheek, frozen as he stared at her with wide eyes. He couldn't help but notice the redness of her lips, the way her chest heaved up and down, and the glassy look in her eyes—the one that told him she was innocent and his to claim...

"Stop," she gasped, sweat glistening over her creamy skin as the sunlight filtered in through tiny holes and crept about the room. "We can't—"

He frowned and interrupted with a grunt. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not _right. _That's all I ever hear from _your_ type," he complained, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. "If you don't want to that's _fine._.. besides, I kidnapped you for your _powers_ not your _sex appeal_," he muttered, waving a hand in dismissal. A random thought flashed across his mind and he couldn't help but add, "...not that you actually _have_ any." He snickered and watched her chocolate eyes begin to flicker dangerously to match his own gaze.

"That's funny... especially coming from a guy who hasn't had a girlfriend within my _lifetime," _she shot back, huffing as she challenged him.

"Sharp tongue you've got, I didn't realize _followers_ could think for themselves," he retorted with a slight hint of irritation tinging his silken voice.

"_Follower_? What makes you think _I'm_ a _follower?!_" She stomped closer and stabbed her finger into his chest to force out an answer from the man.

He stumbled back playfully and smiled a little to lighten the mood. "Lighten up, it's a joke!"

Her lips curved downwards. "Hmph!" With a sharp turn, she had her back facing to him, hands moving to adjust her appearance as she brooded quietly.

"Hey..."

"What?" She snapped.

He pouted. "Can't we be friends or something? I know the situation isn't exactly _nice_ but you could stand to be a little more pleasant..."

She grit her teeth. "Last time I checked, friends don't _kidnap_ each other."

"I wouldn't call it a kidnapping... think of it as a sleep over?"

_I didn't think that term even **existed** in this era!_ She slapped a hand over her face and finally conceded. "Alright, a sleep over. _Fine_, just as long as you don't intend to sleep all _over_ me," she joked, hiding her look of mortification when she caught a glimpse of his signature smirk. _What am I getting myself into?_

He inhaled deeply and exhaled as if satisfied. "Great! Now that that's settled... Jakotsu!" Bankotsu turned to the door just as the cross-dressing man appeared in the doorway, face twisting in disgust at the sight of the human female _tainting_ the purity of their new home.

Kagome glared in silence. _If he has something to say he should just--_

"Wench, do you have a problem?" Sneered the man, hands on his hips as he stared her down.

She turned away. _Looks like I jumped the gun,_ she thought dryly, sighing in exasperation. Her day had been more eventful than she ever needed it to be and she wasn't about to let the man make her day any worse! "Can I... go somewhere?" _Preferably __**very**__ far away..._

Bankotsu raised a brow. "What for?"

_Jeez! Does he need to know **everything**? _Kagome refrained from screaming in frustration and answered simply, "I just thought it would be nice to get some fresh air."

"Well, I suppose we could just talk outside then." Bankotsu replied dumbly, completely oblivious to the meaning behind Kagome's words. He grabbed for her hand and started dragging her out the door, ignorant of Jakotsu's comical fury.

Now she _really_ wanted to be somewhere else... _anywhere_ else.

As soon as they walked down the short steps, she tugged her hand out of his grasp. "I'll just be over there," she motioned, pointing beneath a large tree with lush grass growing at the base.

He nodded and let her walk off, putting his attention on his teammate instead. "Jakotsu, I need you to get something for dinner, night will fall soon. Also, while you're out there, scout out the area and make sure her friends don't come looking for her, alright?"

Jakotsu glanced over his shoulder at the young priestess before nodding reluctantly. "I still don't see why you had to go and _kidnap_ her," he muttered.

"In time," assured his leader, an air of confidence emerging from his presence. "You'll understand soon, Jakotsu, trust me."

Jakotsu rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say big brother..."

"Right, now go on," urged Bankotsu, giving his comrade a pat on the back as he walked back over to Kagome.

Seeing him approach, she prayed silently that he would just tell her where she would be staying and leave her alone...

"Let's go somewhere," he suggested, resting his hand on her shoulder as he guided her away from the tree.

-----

"Dammit!" Inuyasha cleaved through the forest and yelled in frustration as he felt his nerves begin to tighten and cause his heart to constrict wildly. "I've been going in circles _forever_!" He slammed his clawed fist into the nearest tree and let it splinter beneath his power. "Kagome...!" His golden eyes shimmered with fury as he forced himself to stare ahead and start walking again.

_There has to be a way outta here!_ He trudged through the grassy areas and shoved away the tangling roots of overgrown trees as he ventured further into the forest. _I need to get to Kagome!_

–

"Kanna," called the wind sorceress, snapping her fan shut as she glided by on her feather. "Where are we going?"

The quiet girl continued to walk on in a slow rhythm, not bothering to glance at her elder sister as she spoke wistfully. "A place that should be left in the past but... is one that will never truly exist in one place..."

Kagura frowned. "Stop speaking in riddles, Kanna. _Where_ are we going?"

The small girl stopped and lifted her hands in front of her face, eyes as blank as an abyss. "It feels so empty," she whispered to herself, grasping the air in front of her as though her mirror were in her hands.

Kagura crossed her arms over her chest and stepped off her feather to confront the ghostly girl. "Kanna, I'll ask one more time. _Where_ are we going?"

With blank eyes, the pale child stared up with wide eyes. "To the Forest of Inuyasha... we need to find it..." Kanna let her hands drop to her sides and suddenly began walking again. "If we don't, Naraku will..." She cast her gaze downwards and went silent.

Kagura's gaze softened, but her curiosity was making her think in circles. _What could be in the Forest of Inuyasha...?_

–

Miroku wiped the sweat from his forehead as he ran across the grassy plains. "It seems I'm getting old," he joked, noticing the heaviness in his quick steps.

Sango ran right beside him and laughed, her voice filling the air like a wind chime. "Kirara will return to us soon," she assured, slowing her pace to a jog before stopping to rest, breathing heavily with her heavy hiraikotsu resting upon her small back.

Miroku stopped beside her and let himself collapse to the ground. "I suppose taking a break wouldn't be out of the question?" His clear amethyst eyes sparkled in the light of the setting sun as he looked up to her. "Shall we sit for awhile?"

She smiled and sat down, stretching out her limbs as the breeze cooled her heated skin. "Just for awhile," she agreed, sweeping her dark brown hair away from her face.

For a couple minutes they relaxed in a comfortable silence, allowing the clouds to float by on the strength of the wind as the sun began dipping towards the horizon, throwing effervescent oranges and pinks into the sky like a painter spattering paints across a canvas.

"... Miroku?" The demon slayer spoke quietly, glancing at the monk. His eyes were closed, lashes casting light shadows about his face. She felt a tug in her heart and let her hands rest over her heart. "Miroku?" She called again, letting her lithe fingers brush over his shoulder. "Mir—! You..."

"Ahh, 'tis the beauty of youth!" He sat up and gave her his usual lecherous grin, hand planted securely on Sango's bottom.

"Pervert!" She slapped her hand across his face, leaving a dark red hand print on his cheek. "It's time to go!" She decided angrily, grabbing the monk and dragging him along as she began to trudge back towards their destination.

_Can't he be normal just for **one** minute!? _She cursed under her breath as he chuckled about his accomplishment, smiling like an idiot as always. Her brows knit together and she felt the need to punch the monk into an early grave. "Stupid," she muttered angrily, releasing him and forcing him to start walking on his own.

He scrambled to his feet and began to chase after her. "Come now, Sango, no harm done?"

She turned and gave him another slap across the face. "That's to keep the other hand print company!" She huffed and began stomping off.

He sighed and rubbed his face. "The pain of sacrifice... it's still worth it," he mumbled contently, happy with his accomplishment.

–

Kagome glanced around her surroundings. After many winding forest paths, Bankotsu's constant commentary, and a hundred more questions about her strange clothes, they were finally _somewhere_.

She took in the sight of a powerful waterfall, clean and sparkling water, wild green grass, and the light scent of berries floating around in the air. Quite simply, it was _amazing_. "Bankotsu this is—it's so wonderful," she gasped, stepping by the waterfall and letting her hand run through the flow of water.

He smiled. "Well then, I take it you don't mind bathing here?"

"Of course not! Well... just as long as I'm by myself," she mumbled, turning away as though it would change the answer she knew was coming.

"I can't trust you yet," he said.

_Darn!_ She tried to pout convincingly and turned to him. "Can't you please? I'm not comfortable with--"

He raised a hand to stop her and let his hand rest on his hip. "You can't fool me," he said triumphantly. "There's no compromise on this one, I'm staying," he said sternly.

She bit her lip. "By staying, you mean...?"

"Staying within fifteen feet of you," he explained bluntly.

"So, you could just wait behind a nearby rock?" _Please!_

His cerulean eyes sparked with mischief. "If I feel like it," he chuckled.

**End of Chapter 6**

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So that's it for chapter 6, it's a bunch of loose ends that will eventually be tied in future chapters. :) I hope things are getting too confusing or anything though, I know this chapter was very... jumpy. Anyways, I started up a web page and I thought maybe you guys could help me out if you've got some time? Just drop by the site and start something in the forums, leave a little comment, leave some links behind or just do whatevers! The link is on my profile page and it's listed as my homepage so please stop by and help me get the site off the ground! I'm aiming to turn it into a place for all kinds of discussions from favorite pairings, favorite fanfictions and authors, along with many other things like video games, music, and other stuff so anything you've got to say will be heard! So yeah, if you've got some time, drop by and maybe start up a Bankotsu and Kagome discussion or something! That or just stop by to see the ridiculous chibi sketch I made of Bankotsu and Kagome. Haha! xD

Anyways, thanks for reading, please review!


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